DEWA starts turbine tests amid $400m Jebel Ali plant expansion

Turbine and power generator tests at Dubai Electricity and Water Authority's (DEWA) expanded Jebal Ali power plant have started.

Testing at DEWA's M-Station will be conducted over four phases. It is one of the final parts of the expansion project, slated for completion in Q4 2018.

DEWA has invested $400.2m (AED1.4bn)into expansion of the electricity and water desalination plant by adding two dual-fuel gas turbine generators, two heat recovery steam boilers, and one steam turbine.

Enhancing the capabilities of M-Station – the UAE's newest and biggest electricity generation and water desalination plant – aligns with Dubai's energy diversification plans, which includes using solar to supply a quarter of the emirate's power demand by 2030.

After the four phases of testing – initial operational launch, operational tests, reliability tests, and performance tests – DEWA will begin the pilot operation of M-Station. And when all testing has finished, the plant will produce up to 2,885MW of electricity.

M-Station will support HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai's clean energy roadmap, Al Tayer added. The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 aims to which source 7% of the emirate's energy from nuclear power, 7% from coal, 61% from gas by 2030, as well as 25% from solar power. It is hoped that this strategy will see clean energy sources supply up to three quarters of Dubai's energy demands by 2050.

"DEWA has launched major sustainable projects to achieve this strategy, Al Tayed said. "The most prominent one is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, which is the largest single-site solar project in the world. It will produce 5,000MW by 2030."